Necromancer
by LadyShiin
Summary: BK Very dark fic: Kaoru’s a Necromancer hellbent on revenge against the one who killed the person that was most dear to her. Instead, she finds love and the chance for peace where she least expects it.
1. Chapter 1

Another new story from Shiin . This one has been in my head a LONG, LONG time. It'll be short as well, 3 or 4 chapters max.

Enjoy! I had so much fun writing this

Shiin

000

The cave was dark. In the summertime water would cascade constantly down the walls. Now the water had frozen to a thick sheet of ice that glittered with the dying rays of the sun.

A little girl sat cross-legged in the center of the cave. Her black hair was streaked with white and gray; matted and fell nearly to her wait in a tangle of knots that looked as if they hadn't seen a brush in a very, very long time.

She wore what could only be described as rags. Once upon a time it would have been a dress. Perhaps a white one. Whatever color it had once been was, it was now unrecognizable because of the dirt and blood staining it.

Her head was bent over something she cradled in her lap. A small white rabbit. It was pure white except for a slash of red across its throat. She was humming softly and gently stroking the fur.

"Little rabbit," she crooned softly, her voice lilting and musical. "Little rabbit… you want to be alive don't you?"

She bent her ear close to the rabbits muzzle and her silvery-blue eyes narrowed. "Yes... you do want to be alive again…." She lowered her voice to a soft whisper. "Do you want to know a secret?"

She gently shook the rabbit, its head flopping brokenly in a parody of a nod.

A conspirator's smile stole across her face and she nearly buried her lips in the fur near its ear, "I can hear your soul." She nodded. "It says 'I want to be alive!' 'Make me alive!'"

She nodded, "I can do it. You want to be alive again. You want to hop and hop and play and play." She giggled.

She shifted slightly and picked up a knife from where it had lay hidden behind her. The blade was stained and dark with old blood. She removed her arm out from under the rabbits head and held it out in front of her. Lowering her arm to just above the gash in the rabbit's neck she sliced once, quickly at her arm and blood welled from the cut. Quickly, she turned her arm over so that the blood would fall into the gash on the rabbit's neck.

For several moments nothing happened.

Then ever so slightly the rabbit twitched.

A grin stole across her face and she raised the knife once more to make another cut.

There was a movement behind her and she turned too slowly. A hand lashed out and stuck the knife from her grasp. The girl found the rabbit wrenched out of her grip and flung against the wall where it lay on the ground unmoving once more.

The child let out a heartrending wail and jumped to her feet to run toward the rabbit.

Strong arms grabbed her and held her back and she shrieked twisting in her captor's grip.

"No!" She wailed. "The rabbit! The rabbit!" She screamed again.

One of the captor's hands stuck her across the face and she choked on a scream, eyes widening. Tears leaked out of the corner's of her eyes as she stared mutely at the person who had interrupted her.

It was a woman. Her exact age she didn't know. She had thick brown hair streaked liberally with white and gray tied into a low chignon at the nape of her neck. Large brown eyes webbed with wrinkles. Her face other than that was smooth and clear. She could have been any age.

"The rabbit," the child whimpered again.

"Shhh…" the woman murmured. "I know little one."

"It… it wants to be alive." Tears were coursing down her face leaving trails in the dirt that covered her face.

"I know," the woman pulled her close and rocked her slowly. "I can hear it too little one."

"You can?" The little girl whispered.

"Yes," the woman replied.

The child's eyes took in her appearance lingering at the gray and white in her hair. "You are like me?"

"Yes," the woman smiled slightly. "I am the same as you are."

The child's eyes widened even more.

"What is your name little one?" The woman asked softly.

She shook her head mutely.

"You have no name?" She questioned.

A short jerky nod.

"My name is Yumi," the woman murmured.

"Yoo-me?" The girl rolled the syllables in her mouth as she repeated her.

"Yes," a ghost of a smile flitted across Yumi's face. "What shall we call you hmm?"

The girl shook her head silently.

"Hmmm…" Yumi tilted her head to the side regarding her. "I think a bath is in order first. I can't tell what you look like under all that grime."

She picked the child up gently feeling a flash of surprise as the lightness of her. She was all skin and bones and long tangled hair. "You need a bath and food and new clothes." 'And to get away from the death in this place.'

She could feel the souls of the death congregating around them, drawn to them like moths to a flame. Had she been only a few months later there would have been nothing left of the child. They would have possessed her and left behind nothing more than a walking husk doing their bidding.

As it was, she had been cutting it close.

She carried the child out of the cave and toward her horse.

The dark bay mare lifted her head at their approach, nostrils flaring as she took in the child's scent. Yumi spoke soothingly to her and she calmed down, though she still eyed them warily. Yumi settled the child in the saddle and then swung up behind her.

The village was little more than a twenty minute ride from the cave. She dismounted from the saddle, lifting the child down with an ease that made her grit her teeth. A stable boy came up to take the mare, making sure not to look at the child standing beside her.

The girl made a soft whimpering noise and pressed closely to Yumi, screwing her eyes shut. Yumi picked her up and the child flung her arms around her neck, pressing her face against her shoulder, body trembling.

Yumi gently stroked the child's matted hair and carried her into the inn. Not looking at anyone she strode down the hallway and up the stairs to the room she was using. The door opened at her approach as she gave it a mental nudge and she slipped inside.

Gently she lowered the child onto the bed and stroked her hair reassuringly as she pulled away. The girl curled up into a tight ball in the center of the bed, her blue eyes huge in her thin face.

"I'll be right back," Yumi murmured. She stroked her hair once more and then disappeared to return a moment later.

The girl had sat up in the bed and her eyes were darting around the room, face pale.

"It'll be ok," Yumi settled down beside her and pulled her into her lap. "You'll see."

There was a polite knock on the door and a maid entered carrying a tub. She set it down in the center of the room and then stepped outside of the room to return with two large buckets full of steaming water. Bowing once to Yumi she walked backwards out of the room and closed the door behind her.

"Come little one," Yumi rose, still holding her. "You need a bath."

She stripped the child of the rags she wore and deposited her gently into the tub. Taking some of her soap out of her own bags she set to work washing and scrubbing the girl. The dirt came away easily enough but what it revealed made her bite her lip to keep from gasping.

Scars covered her arms from wrist elbow. Some were pale white with age, others pink and newly healing, still more scabbed. Yumi fished out her salve from her bags and spread it over the scars to keep them from getting infected.

Her long black hair proved resistant to a brush and she gritted her teeth as she had to cut off a large chunk of it. The ends were uneven and choppy but it would do. She pulled it back in a messy braid to keep out of her face.

She needed food, Yumi thought firmly. Her body was little more than a skeleton. Arms and legs thin and light as a bird. Her hipbones stuck out and the skin was stretched tight over her high cheekbones resembling a skull.

Yumi found the smallest shirt she owned and put it over, grabbing a belt and wrapping it around her too-small waist. An old soft pair of leggings were produced and she rolled up the cuffs several times to fit.

She called the maid again to take the dirty water and requested food.

The girl's eyes widened as she caught sight of the plate of food.

She leapt for it and Yumi caught her and sat her down firmly.

"Sit and we'll eat," she told her.

Obediently she folded her legs under her and settled down.

Yumi placed the food in front of her, batting away at her grabbing hands.

"Be patient," she said firmly.

The child nodded eyes darting quickly from her face and back to the food.

Yumi picked up a piece of bread and buttered it, holding it out to her.

The child snatched it immediately she shoved it into her mouth, chewing quickly.

Yumi picked up another piece of the bread and buttered it as well.

The child made to grab it and she jerked it out of reach.

"Say please," Yumi said.

The girl's eyes flickered between the piece of bread and Yumi.

"Please," Yumi repeated again.

"Plee-eeze?" She said softly.

Yumi nodded, "good." She handed the bread to her. "Now say thank you."

"Th-thank yoo," she stumbled over the words, unaccustomed to speaking.

"Good girl," Yumi smiled. "You have no name yes?"

The child nodded, still working on chewing the bread.

"Hmmm," Yumi tapped her bottom lip with a finger as she thought. "What shall we call you?" She mused.

The girl finished chewing and swallowed looking hopefully at the food.

Yumi poured her some fruit juice and handed her the cup, smiling when she remembered to say please.

"How about…" Yumi pursed her lips, still thinking. "Kaoru?"

The child looked her, over the rim of the cup. "Kao-roo?"

"Yes," Yumi nodded. "Kaoru."

"Kao-ruu," the girl repeated again.

"Your name is now Kaoru."

000

Kaoru woke with a start.

'What…?' She blinked. "A dream," she murmured out loud.

A memory.

She shuddered, thrusting it away.

Had it not been for Yumi, Kaoru would not be here today. The souls of the dead that hounded Necromancers had nearly destroyed her. Even now Kaoru could see the affects they had left on her.

Her hair was streaked with white and gray. Her face lined around the eyes and mouth and yet smooth and pale otherwise. She would never be fat or tall – too much of her growing years had been sucked away by the souls of the dead. But she was no longer the skeletal child she had been when Yumi had found her.

Yumi.

Even now the thought of her brought a lump in her throat.

Had it only been three years?

It felt like just yesterday she had walked into Yumi's citadel, disturbed by the whispers of the souls floating around her, to find Yumi dead. Her body gutted and eyes open and sightless.

Her soul had vanished already. The death-taint that all Necromancers carried in them barely tied them to the living world. Their souls never lingered long after their deaths and Kaoru had been too late to even think of resurrecting her.

Yumi wouldn't have wanted it anyway.

They were immortal – or the nearest thing to immortal. They couldn't kill themselves by starving themselves or drowning. But they could let their grip on the world lessen until their soul would leave their body – the souls of the dead would then take up residence inside of their vacated shell, with all the powers it contained. A body never lasted long though. It quickly fell to pieces without the essence of its true soul.

Kaoru had cremated her, taking no chances that some other soul would slip into her body and animate it.

Kaoru shook her head, pulling her out of her memories.

"Stop it," she told herself firmly.

She got to her feet and rolled up the bed pallet.

Her mare – Yumi's mare – was grazing and looked up as Kaoru began her activity.

Kaoru made a quick cold breakfast of trail bread and cheese, stirring the embers of the fire only enough to heat a cup of coffee which she gulped quickly. She cleaned her cup with sand and put it into her pack.

The mare was clean and only required a quick brushing. Kaoru saddled her and settled her belongings on her. A quick look-over of the camp pleased her. Clean and orderly with only the slowly fading fire to tell her presence.

She swung aboard the mare and gave her a gentle kick. The mare snorted softly and broke into a slow trot.

Kaoru sighed and relaxed in the saddle. The sun was just starting to come up and burning the mist away. As she rode out of the forest and a long flat plain stretched before her, she leaned forward urging the mare into a gallop.

The howl and whip of the wind, made tears stream down her face but didn't allow her to think. All she could hear was her heartbeat and the thud of the mares hooves on the ground.

Kaoru slowed down the mare down and shut her mind to memories and thoughts.

She rode until the sun started to sink in the sky.

Kaoru stiffened as she felt the first brush of a soul against her shields.

She was near a village.

She halted the mare, looking toward the lights flickering in the distance.

Go and stay the night or avoid it all together?

She felt nervousness curl in her stomach.

Kaoru never had learned to do well around people.

'Sleep on the cold hard ground or in a bed. My own cooking or a nice hot meal prepared for me?'

Her stomach rumbling decided it for her.

Kaoru never could last long on just her own cooking.

She rode into town, doing her best not to flinch as people looked at her.

She found the nearest stable and unsaddled the mare there, slinging her bags over her shoulder and walked across the street to the hotel.

She paid for a meal and a room and went upstairs to leave her stuff. She set a magical lock on it. Last time she forgot she nearly had all her belongings stolen. She glanced quickly around the room and then headed downstairs for a meal.

The special for tonight was a thick meaty stew that had Kaoru sighing pleasure. 'Yes I will never cook, not when I can eat someone else's cooking.' As well as hot freshly brewed coffee which she gave points over the gummy reheated junk she'd been drinking for the past couple of weeks.

She found a corner where she could watch all the goings on around her and eat in peace.

A sudden scream cut through her mental shields, and she dropped her spoon with a clatter onto the table. The scream rose in pitch and she cursed hands flying to clutch her head.

'What the hell..?' Her stomach clenched and rolled as the smell of approaching death reached her.

The souls that always hung around her began to scream and pound against the shields she threw up.

Meanwhile the screaming in her head continued to rise until she felt like her skull would split.

She staggered to her feet and followed it to its source, stumbling through the doors of the inn.

The scene before her eyes made her stop and her eyes widened.

A demon.

Had she been standing next to it, its head would have been level with her shoulder. It was massive and reminded her vaguely of some sort of hound. A long aristocratic muzzle was pulled back in a snarl, straining against the ropes binding it shut. A loud shrieking snarl worked its way up through its throat to ring in the air. Its coat was black and sleek, blood blending into the darkness so that she couldn't see exactly where it was wounded. Golden eyes blazed furiously and its ears were pressed flat against its skull.

There was a rope looped around each paw and as she watched the villagers holding on the ropes jerked simultaneously, sending it crashing to the ground. There was a sharp crack and Kaoru felt an echoing pain in her side as ribs broke.

Its screaming in her head intensified.

Before she even realized what she was doing, she had moved toward it, pulling a knife out of her boot.

The villagers were so wrapped up in subduing the demon they didn't see her at first. One of them fell to the ground blood streaming from his nose. Another had his legs kicked out from under him. A third and forth simply had their heads knocked together.

Kaoru's knife flashed and she cut the ropes attached to the demon.

It attempted to get to its feet but fell back, golden eyes looking glazed.

"Shhh," she murmured soothingly. The screaming her head softened but it was still very loud.

She tucked her knife away back in her boot and bent to pick the demon up. For all it's size it was very light. It made a soft pained sound as she shifted her grip on it, hands slippery with blood.

"Easy," Kaoru murmured. It was too big for her to carry effectively so she half-carried, half-dragged it into the inn.

The owner stepped toward her but the look in her eyes made him back up hastily. She eyed the stairs and ground her teeth. Balancing herself carefully, dragged the demon upstairs and to her room, the door swinging forward with just a mental push.

Kaoru managed to make it across the room and laid the demon down on the bed as gently as she possibly could. She locked the door mentally and set up wards. The last thing she needed was a bunch of irate villagers coming into the room hell-bent on revenge.

She waved her hand, creating balls of witch light that hovered around her head so she could get a better look at the demon's wounds.

What she saw made her wince in sympathy.

It had at least three ribs broken. One of its legs had snapped in half, the bone pressing against the skin. There were wounds around its muzzle and along its legs. Blood streamed from a large gash on its left shoulder and as she gently laid her hand against its head, it made a soft whimpering sound.

She detected a fracture.

"What did they do to you?" She said softly. "Poor thing."

She left its side to grab her medicine bag.

Kaoru grabbed her medicine bag and began pulling out what she needed. Gauze and rolls of bandages, containers of salve and other healing herbs, a mortar pestle for crushing them. She concentrated hard weaving strands of magic into the mixtures as she worked.

The demon was silent except for the slightly raspy sound of breath, its eyes closed.

Kaoru smeared the crushed herb-salve mixture she had made over the welts and large gash. With nothing other to use she snapped off a leg of the table and split it in half to make a splint for the demon's broken leg. It made a whimpering noise and its eyelids fluttered but otherwise were still as she set the broken bone.

The ribs she tended to as best she could, not wanting to move him.

Her healing as complete as she could make it; Kaoru wove a sleep spell. The effects were immediate, evidence of the demon's weakened strength. Had it been whole and healthy it could have repelled her spells with barely a thought. Kaoru bit her lip as she looked at the slumbering demon.

What had happened to it?

The villager's shouldn't have been able to wound it like this. Perhaps it had been wounded before and they'd just stumbled across it?

Kaoru swayed, suddenly tired.

Healing always took so much out of her. She never would have the talent that Yumi had possessed for all that she attempted to teach her.

She eyed the bed and contemplated crawling in next to him. She decided not to. It needed all the rest it could get and she didn't want to disturb it.

Besides, she'd been sleeping on worse things than the floor as of recent. One more night on hard ground wouldn't kill her.

Kaoru spread her pallet on the floor, rechecked her wards. Nothing, the villagers must be staying away - she didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Sleep took her immediately as she closed her eyes.

On the bed, the demon raised its head watching her.

Its golden eyes gleamed in the dark.

000

Kaoru remembered the first time she saw Yumi's castle.

They had entered the forest two days before. Tall oaks reached skyward. Their branches interlacing overhead. The light was dim at best but Kaoru's eyes adjusted to it easily.

Yumi had placed her in front of her, in the saddle. She reined the mare with one hand, the other wrapped around Kaoru's waist.

"Not much longer little one," Yumi murmured.

"Wh-where are we going?" Kaoru tongue still tripped over words but she was getting better at speaking after her weeks with Yumi.

"My home," Yumi replied. "Our home."

"Home," Kaoru murmured softly.

Yumi's hand waved and the image of a tall white-stoned castle appeared before their eyes.

"That is home," Yumi told Kaoru.

She waved her hand again and the image vanished.

Kaoru felt more than heard a vibration in the air as they rode clear of the forest. Ahead of them stretched a long flat plain – and then the castle, that Yumi had shown her.

The mare's ears perked forward and she hastened from a walk to a slow canter without Yumi's urging.

Kaoru watched as the two doors began to open slowly to admit them.

"It knows me," Yumi explained to Kaoru's questioning look.

And so began the happiest time of Kaoru's life.

Under Yumi, Kaoru learned to build shields to keep the souls of the dead at bay, so that they would not overpower her as they had very nearly done before. Small magics were taught to her as well, and healing.

But most of all Yumi taught Kaoru to read.

The castle held a library bigger than any that could be found in the largest cities.

Yumi spent several nights before bed after a long day of training in weaponry and magic, just reading to Kaoru and helping her puzzle out the letters that made up words, and then finally, the words themselves.

Kaoru's appetite for reading was voracious and she soon began to steal books from the library to read. Yumi often found her curled up in a chair with a book. One finger tracing the words and Kaoru reading out loud to herself softly. Her speech improved too, becoming smoother and her stutter faded away.

Yumi taught Kaoru History which she loved, Science which she accepted grudgingly, Math which she detested, and cooking and sewing proved to be a nightmare of bloodied fingers and explosions in the kitchen.

The cooking and sewing were soon abandoned.

Three or so years after she found her, Yumi took Kaoru outside the walls of the castle to learn to fight and release to the hereafter the souls and ghosts that roamed the land, possessing people and creating havoc.

000

Kaoru awoke to find a pair of golden eyes staring at her. The demon lay curled up beside her, head on its paws, watching her quietly.

It took Kaoru several quick blinks to realize the fact that the demon did not appear to be harmed in any way, and was in fact whole and perfectly healthy looking.

"Good morning," Kaoru managed.

The demons eyes gleamed and she saw intelligence in them. It was not some mindless weak demon, but he didn't appear powerful enough to be a one of the high demons that took forms closely-resembling humans.

She wondered at how he had gotten into shape and fallen into the villager's hands. Added to the list was how exactly he had healed himself so quickly.

The demon cocked it's had at her, eyes following her as she got to her feet. It eyed the clean clothes – or as clean a pair of clothes as she could find – that she pulled from her bag.

"No I am not changing in front of you," she informed him. She tucked her clothes under her arm and walked past him into the tiny closet-sized bathroom that was adjacent.

The demon's jaws parted in a grin and his eyes flashed.

She stuck her tongue out at him and closed the door firmly.

Kaoru reappeared a moment later. She packed away her old clothes and rolled up the pallet up. A quick touch at her wards told her that they had been undisturbed. A further quick search told her that the inn had been deserted.

Guess having a demon and a necromancer were bad for business.

Kaoru picked up her bags and slung them over her shoulder. She opened the door and the wards faded away as she stepped into the hallway. The demon padded silently after her.

Kaoru grabbed food from the kitchens as well as towels for bathing and a set of blankets.

It wasn't stealing not really anyway.

The demon watched her and she looked at him as she finished collecting everything that she would need.

"Are you coming with me?" Kaoru asked softly.

The demon grinned in return and she took that as a yes.

"Then come on."

The mare skittered when Kaoru approached with the demon at her heels. The demon marched up to her and she rolled her eyes at him. Patiently the demon wagged his tail and whined softly. The mare lowered her head touching noses briefly with the demon and then let out a long breath.

She perked her ears at Kaoru and then resumed munching her hay.

"Good girl," Kaoru murmured, going to fetch the tack.

The mare was saddled quickly, saddlebags tied and adjusted.

Kaoru swung aboard and turned away from the village with the demon trotting alongside her.

It appeared deserted but she didn't want to hang around incase the villagers would start to appear and give her trouble.

Kaoru found a good place for a campsite as it neared dark. She unsaddled and brushed the mare, tying hobbles around her front feet. She unpacked her bags and rolled out her pallet.

A fire was quickly built up and Kaoru heated a pot of soup over the flames. She dug out some dried strips of meat and tossed it to the demon who gulped them down. Once the soup started to bubble she ladled it into a mug and sat cross legged on her pallet sipping it and trying not to burn her tongue.

The demon curled up next to her, his head on her knee and she scratched his ears absentmindedly as she sipped her soup.

The demon made a whining sound and she tilted her head at him. "What? No I am not giving you any of my soup. It's my soup."

He whined again and she narrowed her eyes at him. "You're not getting any more meat either. If you're still hungry go out and hunt something."

He whuffed at her and she rolled her eyes. "What am I going to call you anyway? Puppy is cute and all but you're a wee bit bigger than a puppy."

"Blackie?" She tried.

He rolled his eyes at her.

No then.

"Shadow?"

He sneezed.

Nope.

She thought for a moment. He obviously wasn't going for the black-themed names. "…so how about Shinta?"

The demon stared at her.

"Yep," Kaoru decided. "Your name is Shinta."

Kaoru drained the last of her soup in a gulp. "I'm off to bed then."

Shinta raised his head and looked at her inquiringly.

"Sorry pup there's not enough room on the pallet." Kaoru stroked his head and got to her feet.

She lay down on the pallet and pulled the blankets over her. After a moment she heard soft padding and the demon settled down beside her. Kaoru turned around and buried her fingers into the ruff around his neck and fell asleep, wrapped around him.

000

Kaoru fought the urge to press against Yumi's side as they entered the throne room. The entire court turned to watch them pass.

Kaoru had often read in the history books that Necromancers were often asked to come to help bring back to life/keep a King that was a dying living. Sometimes more than asked…

The diaries of the Necromancers before Kaoru and Yumi, that Yumi had collected were full of horror stories of Necromancer kept as slaves in order to keep bringing back to life a despotic king. Sometimes if they were lucky the King or Queen as the case may be never took an interest in them beyond that of a person that kept them alive. Some were not so lucky.

Yumi frequently had message-riders come into the castle beseeching help for this ailing king or that ailing queen.

She turned down all of them.

Except for this one surprisingly.

Yumi didn't give any reasons just nodded at the message-rider and said a word that she never had said before to a rider: Yes.

Kaoru had looked at her curiously but Yumi had merely nodded and told her to pack her things that they were leaving.

Kaoru had quickly gotten ready and saddled her dapple gray gelding. Yumi was already waiting for her astride her dark bay mare, standing next to the message-rider.

As one they turned and followed the message-rider.

It had taken three days for them to arrive at the King's palace.

"Lady Yumi," a man – Kaoru blinked – or maybe not… approached them looking relieved.

"Hello Kamatari," Yumi replied softly. "It's been awhile."

"Indeed it has," a smile ghosted over his features. He cast a look at Kaoru. "Is she yours?"

"Yumi is my mistress," Kaoru replied softly.

"And you are the same as her," Kamatari nodded.

"Yes."

"Come this way," Kamatari bowed slightly.

Yumi nodded silently and Kaoru fell into step behind her.

They walked up the steps to a raised dais and passed through the doors behind it which lead in a long hallway.

There were doors on either side of hallway but neither Kamatari nor Yumi spared them a glance as they walked down the hallway until they reached the second to last door.

Kamatari opened it and bowed them in.

Inside it was dark save the dim light the flickering candles along the walls gave off.

There was a large canopied bed in the center of the room, curtains drawn and blocking its inhabitant from view.

Yumi held up a hand and shook her head at Kaoru gesturing for her to stay.

Kaoru stopped in her tracks and nodded, watching as Yumi walked toward the bed and pulled the curtain back slightly.

"Hello love," her voice was so soft Kaoru barely heard it.

Kaoru didn't hear his reply and looked at Kamatari who shook his head wordlessly and motioned for her to follow him out of the room.

"Come," he said softly as the door closed behind them. "You look like you need something to drink and eat."

Kaoru nodded, "who…?"

"We will discuss this over food," Kamatari replied.

Kaoru was led into the kitchen where a plate of chicken soup with fresh made bread and a cup of coffee were given to her.

Kamatari sighed and took a sip of his own coffee, hands tense around the mug.

"Explain please?" Kaoru asked softly.

Kamatari bit his lip, "where to begin? Lady Yumi and my King, Shishio met several years ago… They loved each other; still do, as my King's actions have just shown… He asked her to marry him several times… each time she refused."

"It is not easy being what we are," Kaoru said softly.

"No, I do not think so." Kamatari agreed. "Yumi would visit and stay for a while but then leave again… She was never here for very long and each time she left she took a piece of his heart with him." Kamatari paused to take a sip of his coffee. "The last time we saw here was several years ago. Shishio asked her to marry him and she refused. They had a fight and she left. We haven't seen her since."

He sipped once more at the coffee as if steeling himself. "Then several days ago there were rumors of a rogue Necromancer near to the castle. Shishio went to battle him and the Necromancer burned his body and damaged his soul." He closed his eyes. "He's now dying and sent a message-rider to Yumi."

"Will she…?" Kaoru asked.

Kamatari shook his head, "I don't think so."

"Oh," Kaoru dropped her gaze to the bowl of soup in front of her. She spooned some noodles into her mouth and closed her eyes. It tasted bland.

Suddenly she felt a brush of something… it flickered out and was gone before she could recognize and decipher it.

There was the sound of footsteps and Kaoru raised her head, peering over Kamatari's shoulder to see Yumi standing in the doorway.

If one did not know what to look for they would have thought Yumi composed. But Kaoru knew her better. She saw the faint trails on her face left by tears and the slight redness around her eyes.

Kamatari rose when she appeared his face concerned. "Shishio?"

"He is gone now," Yumi replied softly, her voice even. "I made it as easy as I could for him."

"Thank you," Kamatari bowed, his eyes closed.

"Come Kaoru," Yumi said softly. "We will be leaving now."

Kaoru nodded silently and rose from the table.

"Goodbye Kamatari," Yumi said softly.

"Thank you," he murmured again.

Yumi managed a slight smile, "I will return… if I am welcome?"

"Of course," Kamatari replied.

"Thank you," this time it was her that said the words.

Yumi motioned soundlessly for Kaoru to follow and she did.

It was only as they rode away from the castle unaccompanied that Kaoru noticed the sheen of tears in Yumi's eyes.

She urged her gelding ahead, wanting to give Yumi privacy for her grief.

Kaoru found a good place for a campsite and made camp.

Yumi appeared two hours later and Kaoru handed her a cup of coffee.

"What do we do now?" Kaoru asked softly.

There was steel in Yumi's voice. "We find who killed him."


	2. Chapter 2

**Necromancer Part 2**

000

Kaoru awoke with tears in her eyes.

Shinta made a soft whining sound and nudged her gently with his paw his eyes worried.

She gave him a smile, "it's nothing pup. Just bad memories."

Shinta whined again and she tired to make her smile sincere. "Let's make breakfast and then we can head off. Sound good?" She pushed the blankets off of her and got to her feet, determinedly humming under her breath as she reheated the coffee from the night before and made toast.

Shinta sat on his haunches watching her movements and not looking convinced.

"Stop looking at me like that," Kaoru planted her hands on her hips.

Shinta merely stared at her.

"I am fine. Honestly I am." She sighed and raked her hand through her hair wincing as her fingers caught on the knots. "No, I'm not fine."

Shinta padded forward nudging her shoulder with his muzzle.

"Okay? I admitted it. I'm not fine. I'm a bloody Necromancer and we are anything but fine!" She shook her head dismayed at finding tears in her eyes once more. "I'm not fine! Yumi is dead and I'm alone again and I'm half-expecting any minute now to start going crazy once again and my only goal right now is to find the bastard that killed him and destroy every thing that is him so that the fucker will never have a chance at reincarnation and be sentenced to rotting for eternity in the pits of hell. I am NOT fine!"

She whirled and stomped over to the other side of the campsite and let herself sink to the ground, arms wrapped around her legs and head on her knees face buried against them.

Shinta whined again and stalked over to her, curling around her and nudging her until she removed her arms and he could lay he head down on her lap.

Kaoru stuck her tongue out at him, "you hooked up with the wrong girl Puppy."

Shinta snorted softly.

She rubbed his ears. "So that's my goal right now. Completely destroy the bastard and then afterward I don't know. I don't really have anything else to live for, but at the same time I'm too much of a chicken to simply release my grip on the world and die."

Shinta growled softly.

Kaoru raised her eyebrow, "maybe I should stick around eh? Somebody has to keep you fed."

On cue Shinta's stomach growled and she laughed.

"Food hmm?"

She gave his ears one more rub and he pulled his head away so she could get to her feet.

Kaoru walked over to her pack and pulled over several more strips of meat.

Shinta gobbled them up and looked at her hopefully and she shook her head.

"No, I'm trying to make them last for more than a week. So as I've said before you want something to eat, go out and hunt it."

Shinta sighed and Kaoru's mouth quirked into a grin. There was the smell of something burning and she turned around and yelped. "My food!"

The toast was a complete loss. Kaoru tried offering the charred bits to Shinta who bared his teeth and backed away.

The coffee had somehow managed to turn semi-solid and was now glued to the bottom and sides of the pot in a thick sticky mixture that when Kaoru attempted to clean out of it, she ended up burning herself and cursing.

She flailed her burnt hand in the air in an attempt to lessen the pain but it seemed to no avail.

Shinta snorted softly and padded over to her.

Kaoru eyed him, "what are you thinking?" She yelped as he suddenly grabbed her burnt hand in her mouth. "Hey! You bite my hand off and I'm going to –" she blinked as she noticed the pain fading. "okay… not going to kill you..."

Shinta released her hand and she held it up in front of her face keenly noticing the burns seemed to have disappeared. The redness too, it looked like it never had been burned.

"Well that explains your rapid healing," she lowered her hand and patted Shinta gently on the head. "Thanks puppy."

Shinta's jaws parted in a grin and he licked her hand once before pulling away.

Kaoru gave up on making her own breakfast and pulled some trail-mix and flat bread from her pack to use as a substitute. She grabbed two more pieces of meat and tossed them over to Shinta to eat.

Breakfast eaten, Kaoru packed up the campsite, threw sand over the fire to extinguish it and saddled the mare.

"Ready?" She asked Shinta.

She could have sworn he nodded at her but she dismissed the idea. Clucking to her mare she cantered away from the campsite.

000

The sun was high and warm; Kaoru took off her outer-coat and wrapped it around her waist. The breeze that blew was hot and she sighed, pushing damp strands of hair out of her eyes and tucking them behind her ears.

The mare's neck was lathered with sweat and so Kaoru slowed to a walk to give her a chance to catch her breath. Shinta didn't seem bothered at all by the heat nor did he seem the least bit tired.

Kaoru shook her head as he flashed white teeth at her and circled around the slowly walking mare who snorted at him, used to his antics by now.

"Shinta you're making me tired just looking at you," Kaoru grumbled.

Two things hit her at once that made her stiffen in the saddle: the scent on the air had changed – no longer hot but clean smelling, instead it had turned putrid and heavy with decay.

She could hear the screaming and weeping of souls and her stomach clenched, whether from one or the other or both she did not know.

Shinta whined ears flattening against his head as he too caught the scent.

The mare shifted underneath her uneasily, tossing her head.

Kaoru bit her lip hard and concentrated on throwing up shields, the sounds of the souls growing louder with ever step forward.

The ground suddenly fell away several hundred feet ahead of them, exposing a long flat plain below the small cliff.

A battlefield.

And a recent one at that.

It stretched as far as her eyes could see in either direction, bodies littering the ground. Out of the corner of her eyes she caught the blurred silvery-forms of souls, some more concrete than others.

Kaoru's stomach lurched again and a pounding started at her temples as the screaming and wailing of the souls broke through her shields. She closed her eyes and concentrated on keeping upright in the saddle and not becoming sick.

"Dammit," she hissed after a moment, opening her eyes slightly and gazing on to the body-strewn field. It was too large to go around and there were more souls than she could deal with comfortably. The second they noticed her she'd be surrounded by them, begging and pleading and doing worse if they were able to.

Shinta was snarling softly, golden eyes dark as they flickered back and forth from her and the field in front of them.

Kaoru lifted her chin and squared her shoulders.

No choice.

Digging her heels in the mare's sides, she leaned forward as the mare burst into a gallop. If she was lucky she could get through it quickly avoiding most of them and she knew the mare was fast enough to outrun the majority. The ones that may attempt to follow her, she could deal with.

Shinta kept pace alongside the mare as they thundered through the battlefield, lips pulled back in a snarl, showing teeth.

Kaoru cursed as she noticed the souls starting to converge on them and kicked the mare faster.

They were halfway through the field when the mare shied and reared.

The scent of decay assaulted Kaoru and she cursed softly as she noticed exactly what it was that had startled the mare.

A Remnant.

Fuck.

Some souls had gotten lucky and managed to possess one of the least mangled bodies on the field. Kaoru spared a brief moment to be thankful that a goodly portion of the dead corpses were so hacked to pieces that reanimation would be difficult nigh on impossible.

It turned sightless eyes on her and she felt her stomach roil she caught sight of the large gash across the corpses stomach, intestines gaping through. The souls were a buzz in her mind a cacophony of voices she couldn't distinguish between one and the other.

Kaoru yanked a knife out of her boot, charged it with a spell and threw, the dagger imbedding itself right between the Remnant's eyes.

It fell to the ground twitching and she let out a breath, than snarled a curse as it yanked the dagger out and tossed it to the ground, lumbering jerkily to its feet.

Kaoru kicked at the mare, cursing as it reared again, too afraid to move.

The souls were swarming now and if she couldn't get past the Remnant the souls would get a hold of her… and she didn't want to think of what would happen after that...

There was a blur of black and Kaoru eyes widened as Shinta launched himself at the Remnant fangs tearing its throat out. Blackish blood arched in the air, spattering on the ground as Shinta effectively tore it limb from limb.

The mare squealed and started as one of the more daring souls touched her flank and Kaoru kicked at it as it attempted to wrap around her leg and pull her from the saddle. She formed a spell and threw it at it, and it fell back screaming as the spell burned through it.

As if on cue they all charged her at once and Kaoru spun the mare in circles trying to keep them from latching on to either of them as she flung spells at them.

Shinta was at her side, muzzle and face coated with blood and golden eyes blazing. His claws and teeth cutting through the souls like they were nothing. As they fell away he turned on Kaoru's mare snapping at her hocks. The mare bolted forward nearly unseating Kaoru.

Shinta drove them forward spinning around every so often to tear to shreds a soul that attempted to follow them.

Kaoru didn't know how long they raced for, but at last the souls gave up and vanished.

The mare was shaking and trembling with exertion when Shinta finally did allow her to slow.

There was a river up ahead and Kaoru stopped the mare near to it. She dismounted, knees buckling as her feet touched the ground. Shinta whined softly and shoved his head underneath her arm, steadying her.

Kaoru attempted a smile but failed. "Thank you… Shinta."

She leaned against him as she tried to keep on her feet. Her heart was pounding and she knew exactly how close she'd come to be overwhelmed. At best killed at worst possessed…

She hugged him gently, uncaring of the blood coating him and turned to her poor mare. She unsaddled her quickly and sent her to water to cool off.

Shinta nudged her again and she smiled wanly at him. "I'm ok, honestly I am."

His eyes didn't look convinced and he whined softly.

"I'm ok," Kaoru insisted.

Shinta pulled away and walked over to her pack, the one that contained the food and cooking utensils. Grabbing it in his teeth he dragged it over to her and set it down, expression very close to a glare.

Kaoru eyed it, "am I supposed to be cooking for you or me?"

Shinta whined again.

"Ok," Kaoru conceded. "Food would be a good thing eh?"

She made a pot of coffee and some soup. Her dwindling meat supply was diminished further as she threw meat to Shinta to eat.

He deserved it anyway.

Kaoru made an effort to avoid meat unless it was dried or already cooked. Cows and rabbits were remarkably tenacious little buggers and their souls were very annoying and simplistic.

Kaoru had her fill of zombie-rabbits thank you very much.

She poured herself some coffee and ate her soup silently. Shinta finished his meat and waded into the river to wash the blood off of himself. Kaoru's mare had settled down nearby to graze.

Shinta came out of the river, shook himself thoroughly and settled down next to her. Kaoru shook her head. Wet dog smelled better than blood any day of the week, so she didn't mind.

She petted him as she finished her coffee and then unpacked her bed pallet. Hobbling the mare so that she wouldn't wander away, Kaoru crawled under the covers and closed her eyes. Shinta curled up beside her and she wound her fingers in his fur. She was asleep quickly.

000

Yumi didn't speak much for several days. She was never very talkative but this silence was different. Instead of the usual dreamy quietness that she exuded it was a tense, focused kind of silence.

A withdrawing to her center to plot and plan.

They journeyed to the spot where Shishio had battled the rogue Necromancer.

A lump formed in Kaoru's throat and she fought to breath as Yumi pulled the memories from the earth around them.

Madness.

A seething twisting madness that struck at them, sucking and pulling like a black hole. Kaoru and Yumi threw up shields and it rebounded off of them, pulled inward on itself and vanishing.

Kaoru turned wide eyes on Yumi, feeling shaken.

Yumi's lips were pressed into a thin line and her eyes were dark.

"I know who this is," her voice was so soft Kaoru barely heard it.

"Who…?" Kaoru asked shuddering.

"Jineh," Yumi breathed and closed her eyes tightly.

"Jineh?" Kaoru asked softly, the name was unfamiliar to her and Yumi had managed to collect in her books information on most of the Necromancer's that were alive and had lived in the past.

"He's an abomination," Yumi eyes closed as she concentrated on drawing more memories from the earth.

The scenes flashed through Kaoru's mind as faded and wispy as ghosts.

A tall shadowed man fighting another whose sword glinted and flashed. The reek of madness emanating from the former was a slap to the face. Fire blossomed in his hand and he threw it at the other man – Shishio – who attempted to block it and failed, it engulfing him.

His screams rang in her ears and she fought the urge to clap her hands over them.

Yumi's face could have been set in stone.

The man – Jineh – motioned with his hands, Kaoru's eyes couldn't follow half the spells he invoked and Shishio screamed again, the cry of his soul piercing as it was torn and nearly ripped from his body. Above all was the mad cackle of Jineh's laughter.

Then the images vanished.

There were tears in Yumi's eyes but the determined set to her shoulders hadn't wavered. She muttered a spell Kaoru's ears couldn't catch and the memories she had pulled from the earth formed a glowing ball in her hand. Her hands moved again as she invoked a tracking spell and merge the two together.

Resting now in her hands was a small black bird akin to a crow. She murmured the releasing word and threw the bird into the air.

Without looking at Kaoru she kicked her mare after the quickly winging spell-creature.

For several days they rode constantly at varying speeds to keep from foundering the horses. Kaoru dozed every so often in the saddle but Yumi it seemed, never slept. Food was eaten, pulled from the saddlebags and there were a few brief moments to take care of bodily functions but that was it.

Kaoru watched Yumi as they rode noting silently the gray which seemed to be more pronounced in her hair, the lines deeper around her mouth and eyes.

Shishio's death and the hunt for his killer were taking its toll.

Jineh.

Kaoru swallowed at the bitter taste in her mouth his name invoked.

The madness that she had experienced were just memories… ghosts… what would he be like face to face?

She shuddered, not wanting to contemplate that.

The spell-bird suddenly let out a cry and began to glow around the edges.

It had found him.

Yumi's mare leapt forward as she spurred her, leaving Kaoru behind.

Kaoru cursed and whipped her gelding after Yumi.

Jineh was not someone to be met alone and she didn't want to see Yumi's grief overwhelming her and making her foolish.

Jineh was waiting for them; the spell-creature Yumi had created clasped in his hand. It beat its wings ineffectively against his grip, trying to break free and disappear.

Yumi pulled the mare to a stop several feet in front of him and Kaoru lined up next to her on her gelding.

Even from several feet away she could feel the madness in an almost tangible sensation. If she reached out she could touch it and the thought of it coming into contact with her made her feel sick.

"Yumi," Jineh's voice was calm and sane but the look on his face and in his eyes said that he was anything but.

"Jineh," Yumi replied her voice equally as calm.

"I was wondering when you would come after me," there was a slight giggle as he uttered the last word and his smile grew on his face. "Shishio was such fun to kill. His screams were beautiful to hear."

Yumi's face twisted into a snarl, her eyes flashing. "Abomination." She hissed.

"Aren't well all?" His voice was unnervingly sane. "We that do not die, while everything else around us withers and fades and falls to dust..." His eyes were dark and haunted and Kaoru wondered at his choice of words. What had he seen? What was it that had pushed him to the edge and over?

"If it's death you ask for, I will happily give it you." Yumi pulled her sword from its scabbard her knuckles white.

"So bloodthirsty," Jineh tsked. "I should have killed Shishio long ago if this would have been the reaction in you."

Yumi's eyes were dark and the emotions that flashed across them were terrible to see.

"Who is the little one that rides with you?" Jineh's gaze turned to Kaoru.

"None of your concern," Yumi snapped.

"Oh," Jineh's eyebrows rose. "Maybe I should make her my concern. Tell me Yumi would her death make you angry?"

Yumi pulled her mare against Kaoru's gelding, forcing Kaoru behind her. Her outline shimmered with barely contained magic as she fought not to fling a spell at him.

Jineh's laugh made Kaoru's skin crawl. "Very angry it would make you, I see."

"This is between you and me, Jineh. She does not concern you. Only I do. You will pay for Shishio's death and the others that you caused."

"Is this justice or revenge Yumi?" Jineh asked.

"Both," Yumi replied.

"Ah," Jineh shrugged. "Let's begin shall we?"

There was a hiss and crackle of magic and the next thing everything went white as they both threw spells at each other.

When Kaoru could see again she saw that Yumi had dismounted from her mare and that she and Jineh were circling each other, one hand on their swords the other making spell-signs.

Kaoru dismounted from her gelding and stepped forward but found herself running to a spell-wall.

Yumi looked away from Jineh for a split second and shook her head slightly.

Kaoru wasn't to get involved.

This was Yumi's fight.

Kaoru dug her fingers into her palms feeling powerless as she watched the two of them circle one another and fling spells.

The scent of magic hung heavy in the air, burnt and reeking of spoiled things in Jineh's case and lighter and sweeter-smelling of flowers in Yumi's.

Jineh darted forward, blade flashing and cackle ringing through the air. Yumi leapt forward to meet him and the contact of blade against blade through sparks into the air.

They wrenched apart hands moving and spells sizzling as they flew through the air, rebounding off shields and clashing once again and again.

Kaoru's heart was in her throat and she beat ineffectively against the ward-wall that Yumi had erected around her.

Blood sprayed the air as Yumi's sword found Jineh, cutting a long slice across his shoulder. Jineh's cackling only grew louder.

Yumi was suddenly thrown backward as the spell Jineh threw at her exploded and she landed on her back skidding along the ground before coming to a stop, her sword lost.

Jineh advanced on her and Kaoru redoubled her efforts at breaking free.

The ward-wall shattered like glass and she ran toward them, drawing her sword and throwing a spell at the same time.

Jineh turned his attention from Yumi to her and then staggered as Yumi used his lapse in attention as an advantage to throw a spell.

Jineh's eyes flickered back and forth between the two of them, weighing his options.

Yumi got to her feet and called her sword to her, it leaping to her hand.

Jineh laughed softly. "Face the two of you?"

"Kaoru…"

Kaoru shook her head. "Let me help you."

"It is my fight."

"I have a stake in this too," Kaoru argued.

"Shishio's death is not yours to avenge," Yumi said softly.

"But if he kills you – it will be your death I would be avenging." Kaoru said softly.

Jineh's laugh drew her attention away from Yumi and back to him.

What was the bastard cackling about now?

"As fun as it would be to battle the both of you, I would rather not… Yumi I see you again. Your little one as well..." There was a swell of magic and both Kaoru and Yumi leapt forward only to be thrown back in an explosion of magic.

When Kaoru got to her feet and regained her scattered thoughts Jineh was nowhere to be seen.

000

Kaoru woke up the next morning and went about the usual motions of making semi-edible breakfast. She gave the last of the meat to Shinta and looked at her bag of supplies. Feeding two instead of one made it dwindle twice as fast she was finding.

She would need to stop at a village to gather more supplies.

At least she wouldn't run out of money. Yumi had been more than wealthy and the castle seemed to provide for itself. No matter how much money either of them had taken out of it, the same amount still appeared to remain.

So in no way shape or form could Kaoru consider herself poor.

Only lacking in food at the moment.

She saddled up the mare and with Shinta loping along beside her headed off to the nearest village.

Kaoru nearly let out a cheer as she noticed the sign said it had a hot springs.

A chance to get rid of the trail dust and dirt and be clean. She nearly swooned at the thought.

Shinta snorted softly and she stuck her tongue at him. He merely grinned in return.

The looks she got when she rode into the village had her raising her eyebrow.

Okay… girl riding around with a demon at her side was definitely not a usual sight but the white faces and hastily shut doors were bewildering.

As far as she knew Kaoru didn't have much of a reputation – if any at all.

She glanced down at Shinta, "what has them in such a tizzy?"

Shinta sneezed and she shrugged her shoulders.

Kaoru's stomach grumbled and sighed.

Fine, food first and then a bath and after that a long sleep on something that didn't contain stones and roots.

There was a hitching post in front of the inn cum diner and Kaoru tied her mare to it, grabbed the bags that contained what she considered valuable and with Shinta at her heels walked through the doors.

As soon as she did all heads turned toward her and talk ceased.

Kaoru flinched and fought the urge to turn around and run.

She hated being around people to begin with but to have them all staring at her?

Even worse.

Wait…

They weren't looking at her.

She turned and looked at Shinta.

Hadn't they ever seen a demon before?

"What?" She demanded.

The majority averted their gazes.

"Girl," a wide eyed patron asked her softly. "Do you know what that is?"

"A demon," she replied and he flinched.

The person next to him dug his elbow into his ribs glaring. "Shut up!"

"What is going on?" Kaoru asked softly.

"Get out of here," the man who'd silenced the first said, his voice clipped. "Get out of here and get as far away from… that thing as you can and hope you never see it again."

Shinta growled softly and she put a hand on his head.

"What is going on?" She kept her voice level as best she could.

"We cannot say for it would undo what is done."

Shinta's body was practically vibrating as he snarled silently. The man's face paled and she backed away.

"Get out of here!"

"What!" Kaoru yelped as she suddenly found herself ducking thrown beer bottles and other things.

Shinta snarled and leapt forward, teeth bared.

The people started to scream and got up from their chairs running away as fast as they could.

It would have been amusing if -

A. Kaoru wasn't so confused and

B. she wasn't so concerned about Shinta killing someone.

"Stop!" She yelled at him. "Now!" She flung a ball of magic that wrapped itself around him effectively halting him in his tracks.

She threw another around the stampeding patrons and watched with varying degrees of amusement and exasperation as some ran headlong into the barrier only to bounce off of it.

"Okay…" Kaoru took a deep breath to steady her voice and keep from yelling at them. "Would someone kindly tell me what the fuck is going on?"

The villagers bit their lips and wouldn't meet her eyes.

Shinta unwound himself from the barrier she had wrapped him in and stalked over to her, body tense. She petted his head and glared at the villagers. Their eyes darted from her to Shinta and several turned so white she wondered if they would faint. Gods if they did she would strangle them…

"Tell. Me. Now." Her voice was cold and booked no argument.

"If… if you can make sure he will not retaliate," one of the villagers said so softly she could barely hear him. The others glared at him.

Shinta snarled softly and the man swayed on his feet.

Gods if he fainted….

"He will not." Kaoru said calmly.

The man nodded and opened his mouth and then shut it. "…we cannot say it."

Kaoru's fingers itched to slap him. "Could you write it down?" She asked mildly.

The man looked at the others who nodded slightly.

"You promise," he said. "That no harm will befall the village?"

"If you don't tell me – harm _will_ befall the village and it won't be the demon at my side doing all the damage."

Shinta snorted and she glared at him.

He grinned at her golden eyes sparkling.

"You have some explaining to do." She informed him.

Shinta ducked his head, ears flattening.

"Will you write it down already?" She demanded turning her gaze back to the village.

Someone produced a quill, inkwell, and parchment. The man bent over it brow furrowed. "I don't know how to write it," he said softly to someone. "Does this look like it's pronounced correctly?"

Kaoru rolled her eyes, ready to tell Shinta to start snapping at them if they wouldn't hurry up.

"Done?" She asked as the man finished writing.

"Yes," he rolled the parchment up and walked a step toward her and then stopped eyes darting to Shinta.

Kaoru cursed softly and stepped forward grabbing the parchment from his hand. She grabbed her wrist as she made to unroll it.

"Don't open it now!" He hissed. "Not here!"

"Why?" Kaoru asked and once more he averted his eyes.

"Not here," he begged softly.

"Fine," Kaoru sighed.

"Leave now," one of the other villagers said stepping toward her. "Go and do not return."

Kaoru glared at him… she was hungry, didn't have food and really wanted a bath… then again if she stayed here any long the stupidity might be catching and she would feel like hurting people.

"Fine," she said her voice short.

"Come Shinta," she said softly. "We're leaving."

The villager's breathed a very audible sigh of relief as she strode away and she fought the urge to tell Shinta to snarl at them.

She reattached her saddle bags to saddle, untied her mare and swung aboard. Urging her to a gallop she raced as far and as fast as she could away from the village. It helped channel some of her anger but she still had the urge to throw a spell in their general direction and have something explode.

Judging they had covered enough distance she reined the mare to a stop and dug out the parchment.

Unrolling it she blinked as she read what was written there.

What the hell?

"…Battousai…?"

There was the snap and sizzle of magic and then everything went white around them. Kaoru's mare reared and Kaoru had the vague sensation of falling and then she knew no more.

000

"Oww…"

Kaoru's first sensation was pain.

Her head throbbed and she felt like she'd been trampled by a horse. …Which may or may not have happened considering the last thing she remembered was her mare rearing and her falling…

She attempted to pry open her eyes and failed, even they hurt.

Lifting her head was a no-go either.

'Oww! Oww! Oww! What the hell is going on! When I can finally open my eyes and move I am going to smack that demon until he can't sit for a week!'

She felt something brush against her.

Shinta?

Kaoru opened her eyes determinedly and a pair of very familiar golden eyes filled her gaze.

Everything else was definitely not familiar.

Kaoru blinked several times to make sure she wasn't hallucinating.

Golden eyes?

Check.

Puppy?

Most definitely not puppy.

The thing brushing against her was a rather long red (where did the black fur come from?) braid. Kaoru felt her eyes cross as she tried to get a good look at it. Braid… red braid… Kaoru's head hurt. Maybe she'd hit it on something when she fell from the mare?

She looked around and found the blasted mare several feet away with her face buried in grass and munching contentedly.

"Are you okay?"

Kaoru's eyes darted back to Shinta… it was Shinta right?

"Shinta…?"

He smiled in amusement, "that's what you called me."

Okay… it was Shinta… but not puppy-Shinta… no this was most definitely not puppy-Shinta…

Kaoru's brain was still trying to process the whole not-puppy-Shinta thing. It wasn't every day she woke up to find a guy (demon? Was he still a demon?) bending over her obviously shirtless (she wasn't so sure if he was wearing clothes come to think of it) who used to be the Demon-puppy she'd rescued and had used a pillow/impromptu teddy bear.

"Did you hit your head?" Kaoru jerked away before he could touch her.

"Umm… yes… think so…. Maybe?" She tried.

"Let me see," he reached for her again and she held up a hand.

"Not until you explain yourself."

"If you've hit your head you might pass out before I finish – or even before I start," he replied, noting her paleness

Kaoru glared.

He had a point.

"Fine," she said and nearly whimpered in relief as his fingers brushed her temples and the pain receded and vanished at his touch.

"Okay…" she pulled her head away. "Talk. Now. Fast."

"Let me see your eyes you might have a concussion,"

Kaoru batted his hands away.

"No. Talk."

"Sorry," he looked sheepish. "I… It's just I have hands… and arms again."

"Good for you," Kaoru replied automatically.

There goes the whole theory Shinta… whatever his name was… had suddenly turned into a guy… no it appeared he'd been a guy who'd been turned into a puppy…

Kaoru's head started to hurt again.

"Explain please?" She asked, rubbing at her temples and swatting away his hands.

"It's a long story."

"We have time." Kaoru retorted.

A look crossed his face that she couldn't name. "It appears we do. Shall we have something to eat?"

Kaoru stared at him, "the food supply is close to nil. Most of which is thanks to you."

"I can throw something together," he replied.

Kaoru blinked at him, "you're going to cook?"

"No, offense but I've seen what you call cooking." His easy grin and light tone made it less of an insult than it could have been. "I can promise you we won't get food poisoning."

Kaoru scowled at him as he pulled away from her (yes he was not naked – he was in fact wearing pants… rather tight pants…) Kaoru shook her head and watched as he made a fire and pulled out the remains of the food supply and set to cooking.

The scent of coffee brewing and whatever it was that he was making. He was bent over the fire and blocking her view made her stomach rumble.

"Done," he announced after a moment and she scooted closer to him. He handed her a mug of coffee and she took a sip and blinked. Was this her coffee? It certainly didn't taste like hers? It tasted a lot better and she scowled at him and sipped it resolutely.

He was humming under his breath as he pulled one of her last remaining plates from the pack and slid what appeared to be a sandwich on it.

"Try it," he handed her the plate and Kaoru eyed it. It looked cooked at least… Picking it up gingerly she took a bite.

Tomato (Kaoru vaguely remembered grabbing a couple at the village before last), cheese, and what was probably the last bit of meat she had…

It tasted good blast him.

"Okay," she said between bites. "Talk now and fast."

"I'm a demon," he said and she rolled her eyes.

"I gathered that." She snorted. "So what exactly happened to make you end up in puppy-form?"

"Terrorizing villages," he replied.

"Ah…" Kaoru said, nodding. "And let me guess the villagers weren't too happy about that?"

"Had a witch bespell me and I ended up as a… dog." He ducked his head.

"Could have been worse," Kaoru said softly.

"Mmm," he agreed. "She was trying to make me into a bunny."

Kaoru choked and waved him away as he offered to pound her back.

Bunny.

Why was it always bunnies or rabbits or some other creature that hopped?

"I think I'd rather you be a dog given the choice," Kaoru agreed shuddering.

No more zombie bunnies for her please!

"And how did you end up the shape I found you?" Kaoru asked.

Kenshin's eyes flashed. "The villager's got lucky – I was disorientated after being changed."

"Ah," Kaoru said again and sipped her coffee.

"And the whole 'Battousai' thing?"

"My name," he answered.

"Battousai?"

"Yes. You can call me Kenshin if you wish."

"Kenshin…" Kaoru rolled the syllables around in her mouth. "I think I prefer Kenshin."

He nodded at her now empty cup and handed it him, watching him bustle around the campsite, feeding twigs to the fire and cleaning up.

Since when were demons semi-domestic…?

Kaoru eyed the setting sun.

It was getting dark….

"No," she said to his look as she gathered her sleeping pallet.

"You let me before."

"Before I thought you were a dog," Kaoru glared. "Don't make me keep thinking it."

"So where am I going to sleep?"

"With the horse," Kaoru snorted. "Figure it out yourself."

The look he gave her made her shake her head. He was supposedly some big bad demon… where did the huge puppy dog eyes come from? …Yep someone had spent too much time in dog form.

"Fine," she grabbed one of her blankets and threw it to him.

She crawled onto her ballet, wrapped her (one remaining) blanket around herself and did her best to fall asleep.

And sleep she did though it was a fitful one full of bad memories.

000

Yumi and Kaoru were both drained after the fight. The physical wounds were few and minor but the usage of magic had made them both tired.

Rather than continue chasing after Jineh it was decided (mostly by Kaoru and after much coaxing, Yumi) that they would return to the castle to heal and rethink their plans.

Returning to the castle always made Kaoru feel better. It was the aura it gave off, warm and comforting. She tended to horses and Yumi vanished inside to make them something to eat.

As long as it was hot and took longer than five minutes to make, Kaoru would be happy.

The horses fed and watered Kaoru trudged into the kitchen to find Yumi ladling soup into bowls accompanied by fresh-made bread courtesy of the castle, salad and what looked like a haunch of beef and mashed potatoes swimming in gravy.

Kaoru said a soft prayer of thanks to which God exactly she didn't know and sat down at the table and attacked the food.

Afterward Yumi made tea – tea was for relaxing and thinking. Coffee, which was what they drank when riding or out on the trail was for waking up and energizing.

Kaoru watched Yumi over the rim of the cup noticing the more pronounced gray in her hair and the lines in her face that had seemed to have multiplied and deepened since Shishio's death and even more so after their fight with Jineh.

"We'll get him," Kaoru said softly.

"I know," Yumi replied.

"Finish your tea and take a bath," Kaoru told her. "It'll help."

Yumi raised an eyebrow, "and what will you be doing?"

"Taking my own bath and reading," Kaoru replied and Yumi laughed softly.

"Fine," she rose to her feet. "I will see you in the morning."

"See you," Kaoru replied as Yumi walked out of the kitchen.

Kaoru left the mess on the table to the castle and indeed, as soon as she had turned her back the food and dishes had disappeared. Kaoru murmured a soft thanks to the castle, it always took care of itself.

After taking a long hot bath Kaoru braided her hair and put on a loose sleeping robe. Leaving her room she went downstairs to the castle library. A fire was crackling merrily in the hearth and the mage lights above her head glowed. Kaoru trailed her fingers along the spines of the books, reading the titles as she took her time in choosing.

Finding one (of the few) that she hadn't read before she settled down in a couch near to the warmth of the fireplace and read.

After a while a drowsy sort of tiredness stole over her and the pages began to blur before her eyes. Shaking her head to clear it she attempted to concentrate once more but found she could not. The book slipped from between her fingers to land with an unnoticed thud as she fell asleep.

A sense of unease awoke Kaoru.

A sick, twisting feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Her thoughts felt slow and sluggish and she struggled to pull herself out of sleep and into waking. She bit her lip, drawing blood, but the pain helped focus her thoughts and make her more alert.

The fire had died out - the embers cold. The mage lights had dimmed, throwing everything into shadow and darkness.

The feeling only strengthened as she pullled herself out of sleep.

'What?' She wondered. 'What happened?'

Getting to her feet she raced out of the library.

Something had happened.

Something was wrong.

She skidded, nearly crashing into the opposite wall as she threw herself around a corner. Taking the steps two at a time she raced to Yumi's room.

The door was tilted crazily on its hinges, deep grooves etched in the wood.

The air tasted bitter with magic.

Kaoru stopped before it a lump growing in her throat.

Calling her sword to her hand she ducked under the edge of the door and entered Yumi's room.

Dark.

No light anywhere to be seen.

It was cold.

So very cold.

Why was it so cold?

Biting her lip she created a mage light and threw it upward.

As the light flooded the room Kaoru cried out at the sight that met her eyes.

Yumi lay sprawled on her back, eyes sightless and staring. A long gash across her throat and one more that laid her open from shoulder to hip. Her sword lay against the wall, just out of reach.

Kaoru felt tears burn her eyes and the sword dropped from her numb grasp with a loud clatter.

"Yumi," Kaoru murmured softly, her voice broken. She dropped to her knees beside her, hand reaching out tentatively to touch her. "...Yumi?" A sob caught in her throat.

She closed her eyes and concentrated.

Gone.

Yumi's soul was gone.

Kaoru fought not to break down and weep.

What had happened?

She pushed the grief, that threatened to overwhelm her aside, and concentrated on pulling the memories from the room. A skill Yumi had taught her. Kaoru refused to dwell on that fact.

Madness hit her.

Twisting, snarling seething madness.

Kaoru threw up shields and felt it batter against her defenses.

Concentrating she sent a blast of magic at it and it keened shrilly and then dissipated like smoke.

Opening her eyes Kaoru felt tears running down her face.

Jineh.

Sobbing, Kaoru curled herself around Yumi, her body shaking as she gave way to her grief.

000

A touch against her cheek snapped Kaoru awake.

Kenshin was staring at her, concern emanating from him.

Kaoru realized then that she was crying, her face wet with tears.

He touched her face against gently, wiping away the tears and what little control she had broke at that light contact.

He wrapped his arms around her, crooning wordlessly, and rocking her gently as she buried her face in his shoulder in his shoulder and cried.

"Better?" He asked quietly as she finally stopped crying and just lay exhausted against him.

"It won't be," Kaoru murmured softly. "Not until he's dead."

"He?" Kenshin prodded gently.

Kaoru closed her eyes, "the one who murdered my mistress. He... put some kind of spell on me that kept me from waking from my sleep and helping her. And he murdered her."

She had no tears left now.

Kenshin murmured something soft, the words she didn't understand but the tone was soothing. She closed her eyes and rested her head in the crook of his shoulder and tried to get her breathing back to normal. Her breath still hitched in her throat, wanting to sob and wail but the tears were gone.

"Do you need anything?" Kenshin asked after a moment.

"No," Kaoru sighed. "Just hold me please."

Kenshin nodded and hummed softly, some melody she didn't recognize. It lulled her to sleep and he wrapped himself around her, letting her know that she was safe and no longer alone.


	3. Chapter 3

Yay! I finally update Necromancer. This chapter is semi-lighthearted and I'm pleased with how it turned out.

Enjoy and I promise the next update won't take so long.

Shiin

000

Traveling with Kenshin now proved to be something of a problem. Since he was no longer in puppy-form it complicated things somewhat. Kenshin said he was quite content to simply run alongside the mare but Kaoru wouldn't hear of it.

So that was how they found themselves riding double with Kenshin's arms wrapped around her waist and her in seated in front of him.

The mare took to it rather easily, but Kaoru made sure not to push her too hard and as a result they traveled slower than they had previously.

It wasn't until Kaoru spied a village over the hill that she realized a new problem.

Kenshin.

"Do I have to go back into dog form?" Kenshin asked softly.

"Either that or we give the rest of the villager's heart attacks as I have no wish to be chased by people with pitchforks." Kaoru grumbled.

Kenshin's eyes flashed and she twisted in the saddle, grabbing a fistful of hair and yanked hard. "No killing people!"

"But…" Kenshin pouted.

"You kill anyone and I'll sic their souls on you," Kaoru warned. "You find out what it's like to be haunted for once."

Kenshin grinned ruefully, "fair enough."

Kaoru pushed at him, "off the horse and back into puppy now."

Kenshin sighed and swung down, as soon as his feet touched the ground he was back in puppy form.

"Good boy," Kaoru said.

Kenshin snorted softly and she smiled. "Let's go now."

Kenshin sighed softly and trotted obediently at her side.

Kaoru tensed as they entered the village and a few people glanced their way in interest.

So far so good.

No screaming or paling or fainting or general hysteria.

Kaoru glanced down at Kenshin and he wagged his tail. She stuck her tongue out at him.

Kaoru found a stable for the mare and tended to her first before grabbing her bags and wandering over to a nearby inn, Kenshin trotting at her side.

Kaoru booked a room, dumped her bags in there, warded it against thieves and went back downstairs to have something hot to eat.

Ordering coffee and the homemade vegetable soup as well as a thick steak for Kenshin, Kaoru settled down to eat. Kenshin gobbled his steak up quickly and then rested his head against her hip; Kaoru stroked his head as she finished her meal.

There were bathing rooms in the inn as well and after eating Kaoru made a beeline for them.

Kenshin attempted to follow and go the ward-enhanced door slammed in his face.

Sighing he settled his head on his paws to wait.

He got to his feet as she reappeared, hair tied in a braid and wearing a new set of clothes that were probably the cleanest pair she had left.

She cocked an eyebrow at him and he grinned in reply.

She sighed softly and shook her head and he followed her up the stairs and into the room that she had booked.

She didn't object when he crawled in beside her. She was already asleep and besides the floor was hard, looked like it hadn't been cleaned in forever and a day and gods only knew what were growing on it.

000

"Can I change back now?" He'd been asking the same question for nearly an hour and a note of whining was beginning to creep into his voice.

"No."

"Please?"

"We are within 5 miles of three villages and there are little cottages strewn everywhere. I'm not taking the chance that some farmer sees you and decides to come after us with a pitchfork… again." She glared at Kenshin clearly reminding who'd fault that'd been the last three occasions.

Kenshin's head drooped, ears flattening against his skull and muttered cursed under his breath about flame-colored hair and golden eyes and how much it sucked to have that exact unique combination of coloring.

Red hair wasn't all that uncommon.

Golden eyes weren't all that uncommon (though they were less common than red hair).

But red-haired, golden-eyed demons?

Only one fit that description.

"Stop sulking," Kaoru told him.

"I'm not sulking," he replied. "I'm brooding."

Kaoru arched an eyebrow. "You're too cute too be brooding."

Kenshin's ears perked up. "Did you just call me cute?"

"You're a cute puppy… in the fanged… clawed… sort of way."

Kenshin snorted. "I'm thankful the idiots didn't manage to make me into a bunny."

"So'm I," Kaoru agreed. "Though, you'd probably still be cute as a demon-bunny."

"Demons are not cute!"

"Sure Kenshin… whatever you say…"

He glared at her and she smiled at him.

"We're over the hill now. Can I change back please!"

"Fine," Kaoru sighed and no sooner than she had said it, Kenshin changed forms back into his usual one.

He swung up behind her on the mare and immediately proceeded to wrap his arms around her waist and bury his nose in the junction between her neck and shoulder.

Kaoru rolled her eyes. She had grown used to Kenshin's touchy-feeliness over the past couple of weeks. As long as his hands didn't wander any lower than they already did, she wouldn't feel like cutting them off.

After being alone and isolated for so long some part of her relished the contact, however briefly and Kenshin was more than happy to do so.

"You smell good," he murmured.

"I smell like three weeks worth of dirt and trail," Kaoru grumbled.

"Still smell good," he insisted, rubbing his head against her neck in a manner that was more catlike than the dog form he took.

"Stop that," she swatted at him and felt him smile against the curve of her neck.

"Hmm?" He replied distractedly.

She kicked the mare into a bouncy trot and he yelped in surprise.

He turned his unbalanced-almost-falling-off-the-horse into an excuse to grab her securely around the middle.

She elbowed him and he loosened his grip slightly.

"An Inn tonight?" He asked hopefully.

Kaoru shook her head, "sometimes I feel like all we do is ride around going from one inn to the other."

"With lots of sleeping on hard ground in-between," Kenshin agreed with a grimace.

"Keep complaining and you'll be sleeping on hard ground for another month more." Kaoru replied.

"Not complaining," he defended himself. "Just stating. Tree roots and boulders aren't the most comfortable of beds."

"No they aren't," Kaoru had to agree.

"So… an Inn tonight…?" Kenshin asked.

"As long as it has rooms with double beds," Kaoru replied.

"Those are no fun," Kenshin sighed. "Too small."

Kaoru shook her head, "big enough for me. I'm not even going to think about why you want a bigger bed."

"Several reasons," Kenshin told her.

"Uh-huh, and if you even think about any of them right now I'll knock you off the horse and you can walk to the inn behind me."

"Grouchy?" Kenshin asked softly.

"Mmm… very. Tired too…" Kaoru covered a yawn with the back of her hand. "I need a bath, hot meal and lots of sleep. Preferably all in that order."

"Can I?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"You know in some cultures two people sharing a bath is considered respectful."

Kaoru snorted, "Not in my culture thank you very much."

"Where were you raised? In the woods?" His tone was light and teasing but he was completely unprepared for her reaction.

Kaoru kicked the mare into a gallop and then whirled her around hard on her haunches, sending Kenshin flying.

"You can walk to the blasted inn," Kaoru snarled down at him.

Kenshin blinked in confusion after her.

What the?

It was another one of those things she hadn't told him about wasn't it?

Kaoru was remarkably closed-mouthed.

The most he had gotten from her over the past few weeks he'd been traveling with her in both human (human-enough-looking) and dog form was that her mentor had been killed and she was determined to find the person who had killed her mentor and deal him the same fate.

He sighed and raked a hand through his bangs. He'd get answers from her tonight if he had to pull them physically out of her… after apologizing first… Kenshin might be many things but he was smart…

Sighing again he shifted into his dog form and trotted down the trail she had taken, wanting to give her as much time as possible to cool down before confronting her.

When he arrived at the inn the mare was already bedded down in a stall in the stable happily munching hay. Following Kaoru's scent he found himself in one of the smaller inns in the village.

Kaoru was seated in the back of the dining room a plate of carrots and very-well cooked beef in front of her and her hands wrapped around a mug of coffee. Her hair was wet and tied back into a braid, snaking along her shoulder. She had obviously taken a bath.

He padded over to her and she watched him with neutral eyes.

Still mad.

He whined softly and ducked his head, ears flattening. Giving her his best puppy-eyes he saw her lips twitch.

"Don't give me that look," she told him.

Kenshin cocked his head, the expression becoming more pitiful.

"Gah!" She turned away but the tone of her voice wasn't mad.

She picked up the piece of beef on her plate and held it out to him.

He took it gently and swallowed it, swiping his tongue over her hand in thanks.

Kaoru rolled her eyes and took a gulp of her coffee.

Sensing that she wasn't mad he curled up at her feet, resting his head on her knee.

Kaoru muttered something about 'damned puppy-eyes,' and he sneezed to cover his laugh.

She snorted but gave him a pat on the head and he wagged his tail in response.

"Been spending too much time in dog form," Kaoru muttered.

Kenshin merely grinned at her.

"Still hungry?" She asked.

Kenshin shook his head.

"Neither am I," Kaoru drained the last of her coffee and got up.

Kenshin followed her upstairs to the room and changed back as soon as the door closed.

She had picked yet another room with double beds he noted.

"What are you doing?" Kaoru asked as he stepped toward the one of the beds and began pushing it in the direction of the other.

Kenshin smiled, "making the bed bigger."

"It's a perfectly decent size already," Kaoru eyed him.

"So you say."

"But first we have things to talk about." Kenshin informed her.

"We do?" She blinked at him.

"Yes," and Kaoru was quite suddenly aware of his close proximity. She backed away until her knees hit the edge of the bed and she ended up sprawled on it.

Kenshin settled down beside her pulled her into his lap. She squeaked.

"Talk. Now."

"About what?"

Kaoru wondered if she should tell him that the position they were in at the moment was probably the least constructive one for talking that she could think of.

"Talk now," Kenshin said. "Or you will not be talking for a long time."

There were many ways that particular comment could be taken and Kaoru's brain happily came up with a few of them to her dismay (or what she tried vehemently convincing herself was dismay).

"Talk about what?" Kaoru asked a bit desperately.

"Your past."

Kaoru's mouth shut. She did not want to talk about that.

"Can't I talk about something else?" She asked. "Like favorite colors or flowers or foods or things like that?"

"You're favorite color is cobalt, your favorite flower is jasmine and your favorite food is hot chocolate." Kenshin didn't miss a beat.

Kaoru cursed mentally, now remembering the exact conversation they had, had when that he been revealed. Hiding in a cave while raging farmers hunted them…

One of these days she was going to seriously consider turning Kenshin over to any one of the number of villages (it was nearing twenty) that he had ransacked and raided and harassed prior to being cursed into a dog form.

Right now that sounded like a very good idea.

She glared at him and saw him smile.

"Three seconds," she tensed as his mouth brushed against her neck.

"Three…" He bit down gently on her pulse point.

"Two…" His hand slipped under the hem of her shirt, trailing a feather-light touch along her side.

"One…" He shifted suddenly and she found herself underneath him.

"I'll talk!" Kaoru gave in. "Get off me!"

Kenshin crooned against her skin, nipping lightly in a way that had her bones melting and heat racing through her.

"Did…you…not… just hear me… say… I'll talk…?" Kaoru asked.

"Just giving you a chance to change your mind," Kenshin smiled, pulling away and dragging her back onto his lap.

She huffed in exasperation acutely aware of how his hair had fallen free from his tie and was hanging around his face just taunting her to touch it.

It was going to be hard enough without being distracted.

She choked down some colorful expletives and took a deep breath. "I'm a Necromancer," she began. It sounded so stupid. Kenshin merely nodded as if he'd never heard it before.

"It's… not an easy thing to be… We're… very susceptible to possession by rogue souls. Especially when we are untrained…" She closed her eyes. "When Yumi found me, my life-force was being siphoned off by the souls that clustered around me. I was very close to be possessed fully and made into a puppet to do their will." She felt him tense against her and mutter something particularly nasty.

"Yumi… took me, trained me… gave me a name." A bittersweet smile fluttered across Kaoru's face and then quickly fell away. "It all started with Shishio's death. He was… Yumi's… lover. A rogue Necromancer by the name of Jineh killed him. Unlike me, he became possessed by the souls that stalked him. They drove him to madness."

She closed her eyes shuddering slightly. "Yumi and I fought him. He got away. We retreated back to the castle… he attacked in the middle of the night. I woke up to find Yumi dead." Her voice broke at the last words.

Kenshin's arms tightened around her and the sound he was making was very close to a growl-snarl. "And so you've been hunting him ever since." His eyes looked nearly black.

"Yes," Kaoru ducked her head as tears threatened to fall. "Nearly… three years now."

She yelped as he suddenly pulled her sideways, so that they fell back against the bed.

"What are you…?"

"Holding you," he said simply. "Go ahead and cry."

"I'm not crying!" She protested.

"Mmm," Kenshin replied, brushing his lips against the sides of her face. She felt his tongue flick out to swipe away the tears.

She took a deep shuddering breath and pressed her head against his shoulder. "You've spent too much time as a dog."

Kenshin chuckled softly and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Turn on your stomach."

Kaoru blinked at him, "huh?"

She then yelped as he grabbed the hem of her tunic she found her tunic tugged over her head before she could even think to protest.

"What are doing?" She hissed.

Kenshin smiled, "just relax."

Kaoru eyed him warily but turned onto her stomach.

Kenshin pushed her hair to the side and dropped a kiss to the exposed skin of her shoulder.

"What are you…?" Kaoru asked again and then melted as he threaded fingers through her hair, massaging the back of her skull. "Ooh…"

That felt really good.

He cupped the base of her skull and continued to knead her tense muscles with gentle but firm fingertips.

Kaoru tensed and then sighed softly, going limp as he followed the trail of his hands with his mouth across her back and shoulders. There wasn't an inch of skin that he neglected and Kaoru found a contented purr rumbling up through her throat.

He was a solid line of heat against her back and that and the touch of his hands and mouth was soothing and she found her eyelids drifting closed as her relaxed body demanded sleep.

She murmured something softly as Kenshin pulled her against him and she curled against him, her eyes shut. The beat of Kenshin's heart and his soft wordless crooning had her falling asleep almost instantly.

She awoke the next morning, still wrapped in his arms and him smiling at her.

"G'morning," she yawned.

"Morning," Kenshin replied, dropping a kiss on her nose and making her blink cross-eyed at him.

Kenshin had to smile at the expression on her face, combined with bed-tussled hair, he sighed and buried his face against the skin of her neck content just to hold her and breathe her in.

The moment was broken by the sound of Kaoru's stomach rumbling.

Kenshin opened his eyes and quirked an eyebrow at her.

"I'm hungry," Kaoru said a bit defensively.

"I suppose we should get you fed then," Kenshin murmured. "But do I have to change back into a dog?"

"Yes," Kaoru said and his face fell.

"Fine… I can handle being a dog for a while… I just hope we don't end up having puppies," he muttered half to himself.

Kaoru eyes widened, "…puppies?" She asked faintly.

"Yep," Kenshin raked his bangs out of his eyes and then oofed as he found a pillow being flung in his face.

"We haven't even gotten that far and you're thinking of… children?" Kaoru demanded.

Kenshin blinked, "…yes…"

Kaoru's face broke and he was surprised to see tears in her eyes.

"It was a joke," he murmured, reaching for her.

Kaoru allowed him to pull her against him and was blinking furiously to keep the tears at bay.

"What did I say?" Kenshin asked softly.

"I… Necromancers… we aren't able to have children…" Kaoru's voice was so low he barely heard her and she refused to look at him, eyes locked on the floor as she spoke.

"Our innate close-proximity with death makes it impossible. Even if I could conceive… I wouldn't be able to carry the baby to term."

"I'm sorry," Kenshin said quietly. "I didn't know."

"And… even if a child was born… I don't know what it'd be like…" She shuddered against him. "It may not even look human…"

"I'm not human," Kenshin said.

"But you're also alive," Kaoru pointed out.

"We can adopt," Kenshin told her.

"I don't even know if I'm any good with kids," Kaoru protested.

"You'd be a great mother," Kenshin touched her chin, forcing her to look at him and pressed a kiss against her forehead.

Kaoru snorted softly, "a half-sane Necromancer for a mother and a demon for a father. Pity the poor child we adopt, they'll end up with some kind of complex."

Kenshin chuckled softly. "Unique?"

Kaoru rolled her eyes, "unique doesn't even begin to cover it."

Her stomach rumbled again louder this time.

"Food?" Kenshin asked.

"Guess so," Kaoru sighed. "And before you even ask again, yes you have to turn back to a dog."

Kenshin groaned, pressed a soft kiss against her mouth and then rolled away, hitting the ground on four feet.

He wagged his tail and Kaoru grinned at him, retrieving her tunic which had somehow ended up on the floor.

Then she followed him downstairs in search of breakfast. He curled at her feet while she ate and then after grabbing some supplies, she saddled her mare and they continued on away from the village.

000

Kaoru eyed the quail Kenshin was roasting on the spit and scooted closer to be fire.

Damn she was cold. And still wet.

"I'm not eating that," she told him. "The stupid thing isn't dead enough yet."

Kenshin eyed her noting she was shivering slightly. "Cold?"

"And wet. Though more wet than cold which is your fault I may add." She glared at him and fought the urge to sneeze. If she got sick she was going to hit him.

"It wasn't my fault."

"Sure it wasn't," Kaoru's eyes rolled. "It was all that mare's fault."

"The girth broke," Kenshin reminded her.

"Yes it broke when you decided to hop up behind me on the saddle so you wouldn't have to wade across the river and get wet. Well thanks to you doing so, we're both wet." Kaoru grumped. "And my supplies and food got carried downstream."

Which were the events that led them to the current situation: Kaoru sitting on the saddle with the horse's still-damp saddle blanket wrapped around her and Kenshin cooking several pieces of meat.

"When was the last time you cleaned the girth and oiled the leather?" Kenshin asked.

Kaoru coughed softly and looked away not meeting his eyes.

Kenshin snorted and prodded the bird gently. "Done yet?"

"No, it's still whining at me, the stupid little bugger." Kaoru glared at the dead-cooking bird. "Shut up already. You're featherless and turning golden – even if I did put you back in there you couldn't do anything."

Kenshin shook his head in amusement. "I did manage to grab your packs for you."

"For that I thank you – but we are still without prepared food – and no offense to your cooking skills but if we're forced to have to catch and kill our own food I'm turning vegetarian until we reach the nearest village."

"Done yet?" Kenshin asked again after several moments.

Kaoru gave the roasting bird an evil look. "It'll go away once I start eating it."

Kenshin took it away from the fire and pulled off a wing which he handed to Kaoru. Kaoru blew on it and took it gingerly and started eating.

"Ha! Good riddance you bastard," she crowed as the soul finally fled.

Kenshin grinned and scooted over to sit beside her.

"I could happily kill for a cup off coffee," Kaoru murmured. "Even if I wasn't allowed to drink it, the heat would be really welcome right about now." She snuggled closer – he had been closer to fire and not in the saddle when it had landed in the water, so thus he was also warmer and dryer than she was.

"Saw some chamomile," Kenshin offered. "I could brew tea."

Kaoru made a face, "I need caffeine."

"Ah," Kenshin murmured and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

Kaoru finished eating and threw the bones as far away as she could.

The mare was tied to a nearby tree – the hobbles had been in one of the packs that had been carried away – and she didn't look too happy at her current situation.

Kaoru tucked her head underneath Kenshin's chin as he lifted her into his lap and sighed softly as she felt some of his seep into her. The urge to sneeze grew stronger and she finally gave in sneezing several times and then sniffling miserably.

"Hate being wet. Hate being cold. I better not get sick." She grumbled.

Kenshin laughed softly, "not a happy Kaoru?"

"Not at the moment anyway," she poked him gently. "Though why do I have the feeling that you wouldn't mind if I got sick?"

"Maybe because I could keep you bed bound and fuss over you?" Kenshin suggested.

"I'm a nasty sick person," Kaoru informed him. "I throw things and get snarly."

"That's where heavy thick blankets come into play," Kenshin replied. "Keep your arms covered by them so you can't throw anything." And the image of her covered in blankets with a bed head was amusing though he kept his thoughts to himself. Kaoru was in the perfect position to elbow him in some very tender places.

"Warm," Kaoru sighed softly, snuggling if anything closer.

Kenshin's lips quirked in amusement," how cold are you?"

"Very cold," Kaoru replied and slipped her hands under his gi tearing a yelp from his throat.

"Cold!" He agreed with her.

"If you turned back into a dog would you be warmer?" Kaoru asked. "Considering you have fur?"

"No." Kenshin told her.

"Why?"

"Because I like where I am at the moment and have no desire to change into a dog."

Kaoru glared at him and he glared back.

"Fine," she tried not to pout.

Kenshin pressed a kiss against her cheek. "Want me to add more wood to the fire?"

Kaoru blinked at him, "and you can do that how… considering you're holding me?"

"Like this."

As Kaoru watched some of the wood he had stacked into a pile levitated over to the fire and dropped down into the flames.

She had almost forgotten that Kenshin had other magic's besides healing and destroying souls.

At the moment Kaoru wasn't sure which one she liked more.

The fire crackled and blazed merrily and she sighed as heat washed over her.

For a moment she was reminded of how she and Yumi would travel. Scenes very much like these occurred… Kaoru always brought around books to read during the idle moments and she had spent many a night curled next to Yumi reading by the light of the fire.

"What's the matter?" Kenshin asked as he felt her tense slightly.

"Bittersweet memories," she replied softly. "Sometimes I wonder if it will ever stop hurting."

"The loss?"

"Yes."

"We can name one of our kids Yumi."

Kaoru snorted softly but he was pleased to see a faint smile. "Nice gesture but we're not having kids."

"So you say," Kenshin replied.

"Uh-huh and how many are we supposed to be having?"

"Six."

"Sure…" Kaoru replied in a let's-humor-the-ever-hopeful-optimist-tone.

"We could always get started on one now…" Kenshin suggested.

Kaoru gave him a look that clearly said she doubted his sanity at the moment. "I'm half-frozen and still wet."

"There's more than one way to heat up."

Kaoru slapped his hands away. "Did you hit your head when we fell?"

"Might have," Kenshin said cheerfully.

"Idiot," Kaoru sighed. "How do I put up with you?"

"Because you love me."

"Mmph," Kaoru replied.

"You do don't you?"

"Would I be putting up with you if I didn't?" Kaoru asked.

"I'll take that as a yes then," Kenshin sighed.

Kaoru grabbed a handful of his hair and used it to lower his mouth to hers. "You better."

Kenshin yelped as he suddenly found himself pushed onto the ground. "I thought you just said…?"

"You're warm and the ground is cold. So I'm sleeping on you." Kaoru informed him.

Kenshin blinked, "oh… all right then."

"Thanks," Kaoru kissed his cheek and nestled closer.

"The things I do because I love you," Kenshin remarked shifting a bit so he wasn't lying against the edge of a particularly sharp stone.

"Y'stuck with me," Kaoru murmured sounding sleepy.

"And loving every minute of it," Kenshin replied. "Go to sleep Kaoru."

"'Kay," she yawned and then proceeded to do so.


End file.
